THE COMPLETE STORIES

Evelyn Waugh adored the aristocrats of his native England and repaid their generosity to him by writing malicious, amusing satires about them. In addition to such well-known novels as BRIDESHEAD REVISITED and VILE BODIES, he wrote short stories about his pompous, self-congratulatory friends and acquaintances. Lucky for us that the tales are now out in audio, narrated by the inestimable Simon Prebble. Whether navigating shades of snobbery in an outpost of the Empire or documenting a hapless honeymoon that leads to divorce, Waugh is merciless, and Prebble is marvelous. His shadings of accent, pitch, and tone color the characters and help listeners understand the social send-ups. And his attractively deadpan delivery of the narrative sections makes them all the funnier. Tongue-in-cheek has never sounded better. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]